Why choose a job in Toxicology?

What do Toxicologists do?

Chemicals make up everything around us! Using modern molecular genetic and analytical techniques, toxicologists find answers to questions such as; Which chemicals are really dangerous? How much of a certain chemical does it take to cause harm? What are the effects of specific chemicals?

As a toxicologist you would identify, monitor and evaluate the impact of toxic materials, chemicals, and potential new medicines on the environment and human health.

You would typically be working as part of a larger team with other specialists, these could include computational toxicologists and genetic toxicologists.

The day to day tasks you would carry out would vary depending on the specific area of work, but speaking generally, as a toxicologist you could need to:

Analyse and evaluate statistical data and conduct research within scientific literature

Liaise with regulatory authorities to make sure you're complying with local, national and international regulations.

Develop new ways to establish the potential harmful effects of chemical and the amount of the chemical (dosage) that will cause these possible effects.

Many industries employ toxicologists to aid in the assessment of the safety of their products. These industries can include e-liquids, food additives, cosmetics and agricultural chemicals. Many laws require the manufacturer to provide sufficient testing of the product before it is released into the marketplace.

Toxicologists involved in product safety evaluations have the responsibility to guarantee that such tests are designed, handled and explained in an appropriate manner. Information from these studies is then reviewed by toxicologists in various regulatory agencies, to ensure that the products are safe.

With the ever-increasing consciousness in human health, as well as concern for the environment, a broad and expanding selection of career opportunities exist in toxicology. To see the roles that we currently have available within the field of Toxicology, click here.

Graham Fish's Network Tip

Be Brave

Don’t be afraid to “close” the interview. There’s nothing worse than coming out of an interview and having no idea how its gone, so be brave and ask the question. Use an open question when saying “Thank you for your time, I’ve really enjoyed our meeting, what concerns do you have about taking me forward to the next stage?” This will allow you to understand the interviewers mindset and overcome any outstanding issues that may arise. Hopefully, they have no concerns and you are successfully moving forward to the next stage.